Seven offensive lineman are on the injured reserve for the Houston Texans, yet the O-Line is leading the charge in a playoff push. And their new leader? Third String center Michael Deiter.
To begin the year, returning center Scott Quessenberry was the clear starter for the Houston Texans. Quessenberry was a bright spot in what was a dismal three win campaign in 2022. That was until he tore his ACL and MCL in early August.
The next man up was Rookie Jarrett Patterson. The sixth round draft pick out of Notre Dame was entering the trenches with the responsibility of getting the ball to fellow rookie C.J. Stroud. The first two weeks were a struggle before they eventually found their footing and were sitting at a 3-4 record. Then Patterson went down with a fractured fibula in Week 8.
To start Week 9 the Houston Texans had to turn to third string center Michael Deiter. To many, this seemed like it would be the nail in the coffin to an already depleaded Texans line. However, looking at this with history and perspective, Deiter was undoubtably the right man for the job.
Michael Deiter was unknown to many in Houston when he was signed this year. However, for being unknown, he has quite a résumé. The Genoa, Ohio native was a First Team All-State lineman coming out of high school. Deiter then attended Wisconsin where he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, was a two time First Team All-Big Ten Lineman, Conference Lineman of the Year as a senior and was also named to the All-American team by the FWAA. Oh, and he was also on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Deiter was taken in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Deiter started all but one game as a rookie. However the Dolphins struggled to a 5-11 record. Looking to turn the corner in 2020, the Dolphins signed veterans Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras and relegated Deiter to the sidelines. In 2021 both Flowers and Karras were gone and Deiter was back in the starting lineup. Deiter started every game he could but missed nine games in the middle of the season due to injury.
In 2022 the Dolphins again lost faith in Deiter for reasons unknown. They brought in a flurry of new lineman and assigned Deiter to the special teams unit. Realizing his time was probably up in Miami, Deiter went into free agency. The Texans picked him up in March of 2023.
Deiter was not guranteed any playing time and had to fight for his roster spot. By the last day of August, Deiter was assigned to the practice squad. By Week 1 however, Deiter was on the active roster, mostly for special teams. Things changed once Patterson’s injury occured however. Deiter was named the starter for Week 9 and the Texans haven’t looked back since.
Deiter has played 100% of the offensive snaps since he became a starter. The Texans have gone 4-1 in that span and are currently in a Wild Card spot.
The play Michael Deiter has displayed may be a surprise to some. But to those that have followed his career, it was just a matter of time until people around the league started to take notice.
Leading Updates
Brian Dooley (Toledo/St.John’s) earns College Football Spirit Award
Jim Leyland (Perrysburg) elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Notable Game Updates
On December 3rd Jamiya Neal (Toledo/Rogers) had 15 points and 11 rebounds in an Arizona State win over San Francisco.
On December 3rd Olivia Sims (Toledo/Notre Dame) had 14 points in a Valparaiso loss to Purdue.
On December 3rd Dakota Mathias (Elida) had 17 points in an Ulm loss to Rostock.
On December 5th Zavier Simpsons (Lima/Lima Senior) had 20 points in a Motor City win over Cleveland.
On December 6th Nigel Hayes-Davis (Toledo/Whitmer) had 19 points in a Fenerbahce loss to Baskonia.
On December 6th Da’Sean Nelson (Toledo/Rogers) had 13 points in a DePaul loss to Texas A&M.
On December 8th Grace VanSlooten (Toledo/Notre Dame) had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a Oregon win over Idaho.
On December 9th Cli’Ron Hornbeak (Toledo/St. Francis) had 15 points in a Kent State win over Cleveland State.
Interesting Reads
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Long road back: Northwood's Cluckey returns to basketball court after freak injury
Start basketball star Douglas stays positive despite season-ending injury
Was 2023 state-title football team Central Catholic's best ever?
Perrysburg girls soccer standout Camille Francis named All-American
From Perrysburg to Cooperstown, Jim Leyland gets well-deserved Hall call
Just For Fun
Pro football players from Ottawa County
Michael Deiter - Genoa - 2019-Pres. - Dolphins/Texans
Jim Ladd - Put-in-Bay - 1954 - Cardinals
Emil Slovak - Oak Harbor - 1939-41 - Rams